Sweethearts Of The West: THE PEACEMAKER...The History of the Colt .45 and Samuel Colt's Revolvers THE PEACEMAKER...The History of the Colt .45 and Samuel Colt's Revolvers By: Ashley Kath-Bilsky "The good people in this world are very far from being satisfied with each other and my arms are the best peacemaker." ~ Samuel Colt (1852) Ironically, when Samuel Colt said those words almost 160 years ago, the Colt .45 Single Action Army (SAA) revolving cylinder handgun, made famous on the American frontier and the Old West as the Peacemaker, had not yet been invented. Still, he was well on his way to revolutionizing gun manufacturing in the United States. Born in Hartford, Connecticut on 19 July 1814, Samuel Colt was only 11 years old when he became indentured to a farm in Glastonbury, Connecticut. However, he was also given the opportunity to attend school which challenged his imagination. In particular, one book at school not only fascinated him, but put Samuel Colt on the path toward his destiny.

While reading The Compendium of Knowledge, a scientific encyclopedia, young Sam learned about inventors, including Robert Fulton, and gunpowder. But it wasn’t until he went to sea in 1832 that Sam first conceived the revolver. During his first voyage, Sam observed that no matter which way the ship’s wheel was turned, its spokes always came in direct contact with a clutch that could be set to hold it. And so it was that a ship’s wheel inspired Samuel Colt to design a pistol with a revolving cylinder that would contain several bullets yet be fired through a single barrel. By the time that sea voyage ended, he'd carved the prototype for his revolver out of wood. In 1835, Colt patented his innovative five-shot revolver. A year later, he founded his Patent Arms Manufacturing Company in Paterson, New Jersey. Among his first customers was John Coffee Hays of the Texas Rangers, who not only purchased Colt’s revolvers for himself but his men. [Pictured: Colt Texas Paterson, 40 cal. - 1836. Drawing courtesy of Colt's patent Fire Arms Mfg.,*Colt's Pat. Firearms. Mfg.

Co., Hartford.] [Pictured: 1839 Colt Texas Paterson Revolver, .36 Caliber – A 5-shot, Muzzle loaded revolver. Photo Credit: West Point Military Museum] Sales for the Colt Texas Paterson were slow, however, and in 1842 the factory closed. During his brief departure from gun design and manufacturing, the visionary Samuel Colt worked on his concept for an underwater explosive that operated by remote control. He also developed the first underwater telegraph cable. But I digress… In 1847, Samuel Colt returned to gun manufacturing by designing a six-shot revolver. War with Mexico had begun in 1846 and former Texas Ranger and US Army Captain Samuel Hamilton Walker wanted a new, more powerful revolver. He met with Colt and the Model 1847, named the Walker became the largest handgun manufactured by Colt’s company. As Sam Colt remarked, “It would take a Texan to shoot it.” [Pictured: 1847 Colt Walker] Approximately 1,000 Walker revolvers were purchased by the United States Army as the weapon of choice to be used during the Mexican War.

The Walker became popular with the Texas Rangers and was also used during the Civil War. Weighing over 4 pounds unloaded, the Colt 1847 Walker was a .44 caliber black powder, cap and ball revolver. It had a 9-inch barrel and would remain the most powerful, heaviest handgun in the world until the .357 magnum was manufactured in 1935. His contract with the government for the Walker allowed Samuel Colt to build a new factory in Hartford, making him the largest private arms manufacturing company in the world. A variety of revolvers were produced, including the Third Model Dragoon.

[Pictured: 1853 Colt Third Model Dragoon Percussion Revolver; Designed and Manufactured by Samuel Colt; Decorated by Gustave Young, engraver; Made in America (Hartford, CT) Steel, brass, gold, and walnut; Photo Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York] The 1853 Colt Third Model Dragoon (pictured) was donated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by George and Butonne Repaire in 1995, and is considered one of Colt’s finest guns, and one of a select few featuring gold-inlaid engraving. The gold inlay features a bust of George Washington on the cylinder. The arms of the United States are also featured on the frame. The mate to this particular pistol is housed at the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and was a gift to Czar Nicholas I by Samuel Colt. The Metropolitan’s gun was presented by Colt to Sultan Abdulmecid I of Turkey. Another popular handgun designed by Samuel Colt was the Colt 1851 Navy, a .36 caliber cap and ball revolver.

Needless to say, weighing only 42 ounces, it was much lighter than the Walker Colt of 1847 (which had to be carried in a saddle holster). The 1851 Navy could be carried in a belt holster and was owned by such famous figures as Wild Bill Hickok, ‘Doc’ Holliday, and Robert E. Lee. The Navy reference came about because the cylinder featured a scene from the victory of the 2nd Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche in 1843. Sam Colt never forgot that Texas had purchased his first Colt Paterson revolver, so he designed the Colt 1851 Navy as a sign of appreciation and remembrance for Texas. [Pictured: 1851 Colt Navy Revolver] In 1861, the Colt Model Navy was manufactured. Like its predecessor, the 1861 was a cap and ball, .36 caliber six-shot revolver. However, it featured a ratchet loading lever and round barrel like the .44 caliber Army Model of 1860 but with a shorter barrel – at 7-1/2 inches.

With a lighter recoil than the .44 Army 1860, the 1861 Navy was widely used during by the Cavalry during the American Civil War and on the western frontier. The 1861 Navy used cartridges made of nitrated paper, a pre-measured black powder charge, and either a round lead ball or conical bullet. [Pictured: 1861 Colt Navy Revolver] After Sam's sudden illness and death in 1862, his beloved wife, Elizabeth,(then pregnant with their fifth child)took over Colt Manufacturing. Though not technically President, she managed the company (with its 1500 employees) behind the scenes and was, in fact, at the helm when the company’s most popular revolver, the .45 caliber Single Action Army (SAA) Peacemaker was produced in 1873. The new six-shooter was purchased by the US Army and used during the Indian Wars out west. An order for 8,000 revolvers and appendages (one screwdriver per pistol) was contracted at a price of $13.00 each.

The revolver used by the Army was .45 caliber with 7-1/2 inch barrels. An inspector’s initials were stamped into the grips, and sometimes the date. Although never sold or marketed as the Peacemaker, the revolver’s preferred nickname became legendary. [Pictured: Colt .45 Single Action Army (SAA) Revolver -- the Peacemaker - Weight: 2 lb. 5 oz.,Overall Length: 11 inches, Barrel Length: 7.5 inches, Built: 1873 - Photo Courtesy: The West Point Military Museum] The Colt .45 SAA was also known as the Colt .45, Frontier Six Shooter and Model P. Its quality, reliability and ‘quick-draw’ reputation made it a ‘must have’ for the private citizen – whether they were gunfighters, outlaws, cowboys, miners, farmers, gamblers or, of course, lawmen. Owners of the Peacemaker included Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Pat Garrett, Buffalo Bill Cody and Theodore Roosevelt. Even General Patton had a custom-made set of the revolvers with ivory grips. [Pictured: Gen.

George Patton's Colt .45 Silver plated, Single Action Army Revolver with a 4-3/4 inch barrel and Ivory grip. Photo Credit: Gen. Patton Museum, Fort Knox, KY] Although the 1873 Colt .45 was a six shooter,unless you were going into battle or needed all six bullets, normally only five bullets would be loaded. This allowed the hammer to safely remain down on an empty chamber. Then, if the gun was dropped or the hammer was accidentally bumped, no live round would fire. The hammer had to be cocked back to turn the chamber to fire a live round. Over time the Peacemaker has become an iconic symbol of the American West. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a western movie without someone drawing a Colt .45 Peacemaker from his holster. Gary Cooper used a Peacemaker in High Noon. Unfortunately, some films were more preoccupied with having the famous firearm featured in their movie than paying attention to historical accuracy.

For example, in the opening scene of The Shootist (starring John Wayne), as the year 1871 is flashed across the screen, a handsome pair of Colt .45 six-shooters are shown – despite the fact the revolver would not be manufactured until 1873. The First Generation .45 SAA was continuously produced by Colt’s Manufacturing Company from 1873 to 1940. In 1956, production resumed with the Second Generation of the .45 SAA; a Third Generation came out in 1976. The Peacemaker is still manufactured today with very minor alterations. Barrel lengths are offered in 4-3/4 inches, 5-1/2 inches, and the original 7-1/2 inches. For the most part, Colt has remained true to the Peacemaker’s heritage. Like the original in 1873, the .45 Colt SAA today remains a single action revolver that cannot be fired unless the hammer is manually cocked. [Pictured: Nickel-plated, Limited Edition "Modern Masters" Colt Single Action Army Revolver; Photo Credit: Colt Mfg.

Co.] [Pictured: 2011 Nickel-plated Colt Single Action Army Revolver; Photo Credit: Colt Mfg.Co.] [Pictured: Limited Edition 175th Anniversary Colt .45 SAA Revolver; black powder style frame w/metal surface, polished and finished in Colt Royal Blue, embellished Gold Plating and engraving of Samuel Colt's signature. Photo Credit: Colt Mfg.Co.] It has been said, and rightfully so, that "Sam Colt's name was synonymous with his revolving-breech pistol, a weapon that was said to have 'won the West'." Ultimately, from Texas Rangers, as well as Confederate and Union Armies of the American Civil War, to the US Calvary and private citizens and pioneers settling the American frontier, Colt's innovative gun designs allowed them to fire a weapon multiple times without reloading. Although it is true that Colt guns killed many innocent people (especially when wielded by outlaws or gunfighters), they also enabled honest, law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, their homes, and their country.

I think anyone transported back to a time when individuals faced life-threatening dangers --often alone and on a daily basis -- would understand not just how much Samuel Colt's revolvers were needed but recognize that sometimes the only way to secure peace is to fight for it. Thanks very much for reading my 'long' post. I hope you enjoyed it! :) ~ AKB TV ACRES: Weapons & Gadgets > Colt Pistol (Colt .45) There was a gun that won the west. There was a man among the best. The fastest gun or man alive. A lightning bolt when he drew that Colt...45. He carried the message of law and of order, Into a wicked land. With a Colt single action Army revolver Blazing from either hand. There was the right, there was the wrong. The gun was quick, the man was strong. And peace was made when they arrive, A lightning bolt when the drew that Colt...45. Colt .45. Colt .45. Colt. 45.

TRIVIA NOTE: The Colt frontier pistol was given the nickname of the "Peacemaker" and the "Gun That Won the West" because it quickly settled many difficulties in the early days of the American West, especially in Texas. The Colt .45 was designed by Samuel Colt (1814-1862). His revolving breech pistol patented in England in 1835-36 was one of the standard small arms of the world in the last half of the 19th century. Colt's Paterson model was used effectively by the Texas Rangers during the state's fight for independence from Mexico. In 1855, Colt built the world's largest private armory in Hartford, Connecticut. The single-action Peacemaker model Army revolver introduced in 1873 became the most famous sidearm of the West. The Colt .44 was the weapon of choice for Paladin (Richard Boone), a hired gun who resided at Hotel Carlton, in San Francisco on the western adventure HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/CBS/1957-63. His business card read "Have Gun Will Travel.

Wire Paladin, San Francisco." Paladin sheathed his Colt pistol in a black holster adorned with a figure of a white chess knight. ("It's a chess piece, the most versatile on the board. It can move in eight different directions, over obstacles, and it's always unexpected"). Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) attired in his all-black cowboy outfit sported two pearl handled Colt revolvers on the western adventure HOPALONG CASSIDY/NBC/1949-51 THE LONE RANGER/CBS/1949-57 western featured the masked rider of the plains (Clayton Moore) who used a shiny silver pair of Colt .45 pistols that shot silver bullets. External Links Samuel Colt - Inventions - HISTORY.com Samuel Colt A+E Networks Introduction In 1836, Connecticut-born gun manufacturer Samuel Colt (1814-62) received a U.S. patent for a revolver mechanism that enabled a gun to be fired multiple times without reloading. Colt founded a company to manufacture his revolving-cylinder pistol; however, sales were slow and the business floundered.

Then in 1846, with the Mexican War (1846-48) under way, the U.S. government ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers. In 1855, Colt opened what was the world’s largest private armament factory, in which he employed advanced manufacturing techniques such as interchangeable parts and an organized production line. By 1856, the company could produce 150 weapons per day. Colt was also an effective promoter, and by the start of the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) he had made the Colt revolver perhaps the world’s best-known firearm. He died a wealthy man in 1862; the company he founded remains in business today. Google Early Years Samuel Colt was born on July 19, 1914, in Hartford, Connecticut , the son of textile manufacturer Christopher Colt and wife Sarah. By visiting his father’s mill in Ware, Massachusetts , and helping out at a nearby farm, the young Colt gained an interest in all things mechanical and often dismantled objects–including his father’s firearms–to discover how they functioned.

At age 16, he enrolled at Amherst Academy in Massachusetts to study navigation; however, his youthful hi-jinks later got him expelled from the school. His father then gave the teen the opportunity to study navigation firsthand, sending him out to sea on the Corvo, a ship that embarked on a nearly yearlong voyage in 1830. Did You Know? Samuel Colt hired engravers and craftsmen to decorate special presentation pistols that were given to European kings, Russian czars and military officials, among other dignitaries. These firearms were often lavishly engraved and inlaid with gold. Aboard the Corvo, Colt became fascinated with the ship’s wheel, particularly the way it could alternately spin or be locked in a fixed position through the use of a clutch. He translated this controlled rotation to firearms and a means whereby a single-shot pistol could be adapted to fire multiple rounds in quick succession. During his time at sea, Colt carved a six-barrel cylinder, locking pin and hammer out of wood. Although this prototype for a pistol featured multiple rotating barrels, in later versions Colt would opt instead for a rotating cylinder containing multiple bullet chambers to reduce the gun’s weight and bulk.

After returning from his adventure at sea, Colt spent two years traveling North America under the name Dr. Coult, hosting a road show during which he entertained and educated crowds on the uses of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The profits he saved through his skill as a promoter enabled him to perfect his revolver mechanism, and he hired gunsmiths to create a series of prototypes. Patents for the Revolving Pistol Colt’s revolver mechanism is considered by some to be more innovation than invention because it improved upon a revolving flintlock (a firing mechanism used in muskets and rifles) already patented by Boston inventor Elisha Collier (1788-1856). The British patent for Colt’s mechanism was acquired in October 1835, and on February 25, 1836, the American inventor received U.S. Patent No. 138 (later 9430X) for his revolving-cylinder pistol.

The enhancements listed in this patent include greater “facility in loading,” changes in “the weight and location of the cylinder, which give steadiness to the hand,” and “the great rapidity in the succession of discharges.” Colt’s Patent Arms Manufacturing Company began making the Paterson pistol in 1836 at its Paterson, New Jersey , factory using funds advanced by Colt’s family. Initially, Colt produced three “revolving” handguns–belt, holster and pocket pistols–and two rifles. All models incorporated a revolving cylinder into which gunpowder and bullets were loaded. Primer was placed on a strike plate outside the cylinder, and combustion was initiated by pulling the trigger and releasing the hammer onto the strike plate. The ability to fire six shots without reloading–a task that required 20 seconds using a single-shot firearm–provided a crucial advantage to soldiers and settlers encountering danger in the nation’s frontier regions. Colt continued to refine his initial design, obtaining patents on such components as a cylinder-locking mechanism, fluted cylinders, longer grips and beveled-cylinder mouths to eliminate igniting adjacent chambers. A savvy businessman, he retained rights to these patents, making his applications as an individual rather than through the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company.

A Business Failure Seeking a government contract for his guns, Colt visited the office of the U.S. secretary of war, but the Army judged the use of a percussion cap in Colt firearms too innovative and therefore potentially unreliable. Scattered sales in the newly formed Republic of Texas and in Florida , where the Second Seminole War (1835-42) was ongoing, did not translate into the revenue required to maintain the veneer of success Colt needed to impress potential clients. Eventually, the company’s shareholders took control of Patent Arms Manufacturing, and Colt was relegated to sales agent. In 1842, the company was forced to close, and its fixtures and inventory of guns and gun parts were auctioned off to the highest bidder.With his company failing, Colt turned to another interest: perfecting an underwater mine for use in harbor defense. His remote-ignition “submarine battery” required him to develop a waterproof cable capable of transmitting electricity underwater. As with his revolver mechanism, Colt’s innovative cable was adapted from an earlier design: a cable developed by telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872).

The relationship between the two inventors led to a partially implemented scheme to install a telegraph line from the New York Merchant’s Exchange to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. (The line went only as far as Fire Island, New York, before the project was abandoned.) Busy with these new projects, and discouraged by the failure of Patent Arms Manufacturing, Colt also found himself caught up in a national scandal after his brother, John Colt, murdered a printer with whom he did business. U.S. Expansionism Sparks a Need for More Guns The 1844 election of President James K. Polk (1795-1849) saw the implementation of Polk’s plans for outward expansion into Texas and the Western territories. Seeing a new opportunity, Colt submitted a sample of his enhanced revolving holster pistol to the U.S. war department. In 1846, with the Mexican War under way, Colt had a visit from Captain Samuel H. Walker (1817-47) of the U.S. Mounted Riflemen. After Colt and Walker collaborated on the design for a new and improved gun, General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) ordered 1,000 Colt revolvers.

The guns were delivered to the Army in 1847. Colt’s guns were now produced in Hartford, where his factory was managed by mechanic-minded supervisor Elisha K. Root (1808-65). Under Root’s guidance, the renamed Colt Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company hired talented mechanics and engineers who continued the innovations Colt had begun. In the early 1850s, a company branch was established in England, and in 1855 a new Hartford factory–the largest privately owned armament manufacturing plant in the world–was built overlooking the Connecticut River. By 1856, the company could produce 150 weapons per day using interchangeable parts, efficient production lines and specially designed precision machinery. The Colt brand was now recognized worldwide through savvy promotion and was associated with quality and dependability. A masterful promoter, Colt positioned his firearms within the American mythos, even hiring artist and explorer George Catlin (1796-1872) to create paintings depicting Colt guns in use by sportsmen and explorers encountering exotic predatory animals in North and South America.

The Civil War and Beyond During the late 1850s, while tensions mounted between the North and South that would soon lead to the American Civil War , Colt continued to do business with longstanding customers in Southern states. However, when war was finally declared on April 12, 1861, he turned his focus almost exclusively to supplying the Union army. He also outfitted the 1st Regiment Connecticut Rifles, a volunteer regiment from his company’s home state. Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company operated at full capacity and employed over 1,000 people in its Hartford factory. By that time, Samuel Colt had become one of the wealthiest men in America and owned a Connecticut mansion called Armsmear. The strain of supplying the war effort eventually took its toll on Colt. Suffering from chronic rheumatism, the 47-year-old gun manufacturer died at his home on January 10, 1862, leaving behind an estate worth millions. The company, which manufactured more than 400,000 firearms during Colt’s lifetime, was left to its founder’s wife, Elizabeth, and Root was appointed president.

In 1901, the Colt family sold the company to a group of investors. Still in business today, the Colt’s Manufacturing Company went on to produce the Colt Single Action Army handgun, also known as the Colt .45 or the Peacemaker, the standard service revolver of the U.S. military between 1873 and 1892. To date, the company founded by Samuel Colt has produced more than 30 million pistols, revolvers and rifles. Tags The Colt Peacemaker: The Gun That Won the West Contact Us Howdy y'all, Anita Lequoia here, Founder of Stargazer Mercantile! Welcome to my blog, THE CAMPFIRE CHRONICLE. I hope that you'll stay a while and visit . . . (virtual) coffee pot is always on! The Colt Peacemaker: The Gun That Won the West If you spend any time researching the Colt Peacemaker, you will find that everywhere you look – – in books, on websites, in encyclopedias – – a colon and an unofficial title usually follows the name . . .

“The Colt Peacemaker: The Gun that Won the West” It’s a subtitle that is well deserved, for the “king” of the revolvers in the royal gun family! Years before the production of the Colt Peacemaker, Samuel Colt himself said, “The good people in this world are very far from being satisfied with each other and my arms are the best peacemaker.” Ironically, Samuel Colt died a decade before the gun was actually designed. The Colt Peacemaker is only one name for this popular revolver. You might also know it as the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, the M1873, the Colt .45, or simply as the Model P. This gun first hit the market in 1873, and was available by mail order from the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Co. for the sum of $17. (NOTE TO SELF: If I’m ever given a time machine, dial back to to the year 1873 and buy revolvers, many revolvers.) The Colt Peacemaker was the U.S. Army’s standard issue service revolver until 1892. It was used extensively in the Spanish-American War, as well as in World War I.

It was favored by some pretty impressive American heroes. . . “Buffalo Bill” Cody, General George Patton, Wyatt Earp and Theodore Roosevelt. But, as you may have already have suspected, the “good guys” weren’t the only ones to use the Colt .45! Outlaws, such as Jesse James and Billy the Kid, used the gun with great , shall we say, enthusiasm?! BUFFALO BILL CODY WYATT EARP THEODORE ROOSEVELT So. . .why was this gun in particular everyone’s favorite? Strangely, there wasn’t anything terribly unique about the Colt Peacemaker. It was not a huge leap forward in technology, since its single action design dated back decades. However, where it set itself apart from other guns was this: It was completely reliable and robust, able to take lots of heavy abuse and keep on working. GARY COOPER RANDOLPH SCOTT The Colt Peacemaker was featured in virtually every old television and movie Western. Gary Cooper carried a Peacemaker in the movie, High Noon.

While you would be hard-pressed to find many Westerns that didn’t feature the Colt .45, here’s your oddball trivia for the day: In the 1950 movie, Colt .45 starring Randolph Scott, Colt .44s were used! There was also a television Western by the name of Colt .45, which aired from 1957-1960. Presumably, that show used the appropriate revolver! Production of the Colt Peacemaker ended in 1941, with the start of World War II, when munitions factories focused on producing greater volume, larger caliber arms. This was not a permanent hiatus, however, because production of “Second Generation” Peacemakers began again in 1956 and lasted until 1974. “Third Generation” production began in 1976 and continued until 1981. Was that the end of the road for the Colt Single Action? Hardly. The company once again started to manufacture them, and they are still available today.

Confession: This firearm is such a part of Western history and Hollywood’s portrayal of cowboys that I realized I have imagined it as being in hands that never held it. I could have sworn Woody from “Toy Story” was equipped with a Colt Peacemaker. Um, he wasn’t. It seems that when Woody said, “Reach for the sky,” he was really equipped with an empty holster and his index finger. All I can say is that if it were politically correct, Pixar Studios would have given Woody a Colt! Happy Trails, y’all! Colt .45 PeacemakerGuns Magazine.com | Guns Magazine.com Privacy Colt .45 Peacemaker At this writing the Colt .45 Peacemaker is 140 years old. Of all American handguns it is the most famous, most legendary and arguably the most esthetically pleasing. It may not have been designed by old Sam Colt himself—he had passed away over a decade prior to its introduction, still, it incorporated the graceful lines and especially the grip frame he pioneered with earlier percussion revolvers. As I wrote in last month’s issue the start of the 1870s also coincided with the beginning of big-bore, metallic-cartridge firing revolvers.

Until about 1870 the US Cavalry was still issuing Colt and Remington .44-caliber cap-and-ball sixguns to its troopers. The Army hierarchy knew it was time to upgrade and they decided their new cartridge revolver should be .45 caliber. In fact Colt’s .44 Model 1871 “conversions” had pleased many officers but there were two major faults with it. One was that its cartridge used a heel-type bullet with outside lubrication. The exposed lube could not help but become contaminated with dirt and other crud when packed about in the outdoors. And, the revolvers needed a topstrap connecting the rear of the frame to the front. Otherwise the impact of a big bullet plowing into the rear of the barrel tended to stress the revolver’s frame to the point of bending it. Therefore, by 1873 Colt had developed their “Strap Pistol” as the company first referred to it. We all know it today officially as the Colt Single Action Army and that is what is inscribed alongside its barrels. Other nicknames have been Peacemaker (most popular), hogleg, and my personal favorite: the Equalizer.

The Colt Peacemaker .45 came apart in Duke’s hands in 1991 due to reasons still unknown. By mid-1874 the new Colt .45s were being shipped to cavalry regiments all over the West. In fact the famous (or infamous) Black Hills Expedition led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer with a major portion of the 7th Cavalry was delayed in leaving due to waiting for delivery of their new handguns. One of the first, if not the first, accidental fatalities caused by an inherent problem with the Peacemaker’s design occurred on that expedition. The soldiers loaded their new sixguns fully and relied on the safety notch in the hammer to hold the firing pin away from the cartridge resting under it. That’s a fragile arrangement as one trooper learned when something struck his hammer causing the revolver to discharge. So that’s one thing every shooter of Colt Single Action Army revolvers and their innumerable clones should keep foremost in mind—load them with five rounds and let the hammer down on the empty sixth chamber! Back to those Colt .45s, which were issued to the US Cavalry from 1873 until 1892 and used much even thereafter.

They were all of a basic type. Barrel lengths were 7-1/2 inches. Their stocks (not grips) were one piece of plain-grain walnut inlet so that the grip frame fit into it. Finish was a rather dull blue on barrel, cylinder and grip frame while the frame itself and the hammer were color case hardened. Sights were a tiny blade front with a corresponding groove down the frame’s topstrap for a rear sight. In the period of its service the US Government purchased a bit over 37,000 such Colt .45s. Their initial purchase price was $13.50 each which included a screwdriver. That item was a necessity because another inherent trait of the Peacemaker is that the six screws that hold the triggerguard and backstrap to one another and to the frame will loosen up. Carrying them on horseback speeds up the process immensely. Original US Government produced .45 Colt ammunition did not consist of a 255-grain bullet over 40 grains of black powder as is often mistakenly written. The bullet weight was 250 grains and powder charge was 30 grains.

All of it crammed into a copper case 1.285 inches long with an inside, centerfire primer. Later some civilian produced .45 Colt ammunition did contain 255-grain bullets and powder charges of 35, 38 and 40 grains. Such is documentable by original ammunition catalogs. To the best of my knowledge all civilian manufactured .45 Colt ammunition used brass for cartridge cases. Almost as soon as Colt began shipping .45s to the US Army they released them for sale to civilians. It is interesting that some stamped US on the left side of the receiver were fitted with ivory grips, fully nickel plated and sold on the civilian market. Those were ones actually intended for the government but were refused by inspectors for one minor flaw or the other. By 1875 civilian demand for Colt .45s resulted in a version with 5-1/2-inch barrel length and by 1879 a 4-3/4-inch length became a standard catalog item. Colt did sell that length earlier but it was a custom order item. Civilian finish was a brighter blue than the government ordered and in the black-powder era nickel plating was a popular finish.

(Cleaning black-powder fouling from a nickel-plated revolver is easier than from a blued/case hardened one.) Early on Peacemakers made for the civilian market also carried the 1-piece walnut stocks. Ivory stocks built in the same manner as walnut ones were popular too—again as custom order items. By 1882 2-piece hard-rubber grips became standard and actually remain so to this day. Another significant change began in 1892. Until that time all Peacemakers’ cylinder pins were secured by a small screw angled in from the front of the frame. In that year the transition began to a spring-loaded transverse latch but the system did not become the norm until 1896. Often the first system is called the “black-powder frame” and the latter one the “smokeless powder frame.” That is not correct. Colt did not begin to warranty any of their Peacemakers for smokeless powder ammunition until 1900.

Although Colt began offering other chamberings in the Single Action Army as early as 1875 with the .44 Henry Rimfire and eventually offered Peacemakers in about three dozen different ones, the .45 Colt was always top seller by a wide margin. Here’s an example. It is generally accepted that total production from 1873 until 1941 was 357,859. (That includes variations such as Bisley, Bisley Target, and Single Action Target.) Just considering regular fixed-sighted Peacemakers there were over 150,000 made as .45 Colts. The next most popular caliber was .44 WCF (aka .44-40) with only about 64,000. Duke bought his first Colt Peacemaker .45 with 5-1/2-inch barrel back in 1968. No article about the Colt .45 Peacemaker can be complete without covering the 2nd and 3rd Generations. The production period of 1873 until 1941 is considered 1st Generation.

Due to demand generated by cinema and television Westerns Colt brought back the Single Action Army in 1956 and kept it going until 1974 with about 75,000 produced. Of course again the majority were .45s. These 2nd Generation Peacemakers are easily identified because Colt put an SA suffix after the serial number as in 2222SA. Production started again in 1976 with some minor changes such as different barrel threads, a fixed cylinder pin bushing, a different cylinder ratchet design with corresponding different cylinder rotating hand. A gap of about 5,000 numbers was put into the serial numbers with these 3rd Generation Peacemakers starting at 80000SA. After 99999SA was reached the SA was made a prefix. When SA99999 was reached the SA was split and became S0001A. And still .45 Colt reigns supreme as caliber choice. As a teenager in southern West Virginia I had never laid eyes on a Colt .45 Peacemaker but still I desperately wanted one.

Not only had I been influenced by all those Western programs but also the writings of people like Skeeter Skelton, Elmer Keith and others. For a summer job in 1968 I was hustling freight on the docks of a trucking company. One of the truckers said he owned a Colt .45 Peacemaker. I was skeptical because he had a reputation for windiness but still I pestered him to show it to me. To my utter amazement one payday Friday he did just that. It indeed was a beautiful condition 5-1/2-inch .45, which I later learned had been made in 1964. He offered it to me for $100, which was just about what my entire 2-week paycheck amounted to. (Minimum wage then was $1.60 an hour.) Brothers and sisters was I one happy 19 year old although actual shooting of my new .45 much was limited that summer. Although already a handloader, funds had to be accumulated to buy dies, bullets mold, shell holders, cast bullet sizing die and so forth.

Because a Model 1911A1 .45 ACP had also come into my hands that summer, I only bought .45 ACP reloading equipment and then made it work for .45 Colt too. After 45 years of loading the .45 Colt, Duke has settled mostly on RN/FP style cast bullets for his handloads, such as (left) the 250-grain bullet from NEI mold No. 324 and (right) the 255-grain bullet from Redding/SAECO mold No. 955. Uncounted thousands of handloads were fired through that first Peacemaker before in 1977 I foolishly traded it for something now forgotten. By that time there wasn’t much finish left on it. A casual perusal of my hand-jotted lifelong records showed I’ve owned exactly 30 Peacemaker .45s since 1968. Their barrels have ranged from 3-1/2 inches (Colt Custom Shop job) to a 12-inch Buntline and their finishes have been nickel plated, fully blued and blue with color case hardening.

Since I have been downsizing my collection in recent years only five of those 30 remain. Two have 4-3/4-inch barrels and three have 7-1/2-inch barrels. One’s factory letter shows it was actually shipped to me and another’s states that it was ordered by Country/Western singing legend Hank Williams Jr. with my name engraved on it. The remains of a 6th .45 Peacemaker are here also. On April 1st 1991 it blew up in my hand for reasons still undetermined. I came to the conclusion that the .45 Colt case’s huge volume wasn’t the best place for small dollops of fast burning smokeless propellants. For many years thereafter my Peacemaker shooting was mostly done with shorter .45 S&W “Schofield” cases due to their lesser volume. Then Hodgdon/IMR introduced their Trail Boss powder, a much more “fluffy” (for lack of a better word) powder which fills most of the .45 Colt’s case capacity with safe loads. I use it almost solely now.

Almost all of my handloads now use one design or the other of roundnose/flatpoint bullets usually cast by me. Of course the .45 Colt’s original propellant—black powder—still isn’t a poor choice. In fact in Colt Peacemakers and revolvers of similar strength black powder will give the most velocity safely achievable. Once I did a test of Old West sixguns by shooting them into a baffle box of soft pine, 1-inch planks. The box held 12 boards and the .45 Colt 250-grain bullet lodged in the last one. Nothing else available in the late 1800s equaled that. My days of actually carrying a handgun out in the Montana’s hills are over. Mostly now I shoot them here on my own property just for fun. Colt Peacemaker .45s are perfect for that. By Mike “Duke” Venturino Colt .45sAmerican Handgunner | American Handgunner Colt .45s Big and Heavy Worked — And Still Does! Think back to the days when America had two major handgun manufacturers: Colt and Smith & Wesson.

Now consider this when speaking of their big-bore handguns: Smith & Wesson was more identified with .44 caliber, as in .44 Russian and .44 S&W Special, but for Colt it was .45’s. First came the .45 Colt in 1873 with a revised version in 1909. Then starting in the early 1900’s the company began toying with a rimless .45 for use in autoloading pistols. Of course that became the .45 ACP. By my count Colt produced four basic handguns for those two .45’s. First was the Single Action Army in 1873, which in the beginning was simply called the “strap model.” That’s because it was Colt’s first handgun with a topstrap connecting the front and rear of the frame. The SAA name came because it served the US Army from 1873 till 1892 and was even revived for combat during the Philippine Insurrection in the early 1900s. Shortly thereafter, the army knew it was going to eventually adopt an autoloader but needed a stopgap until one was perfected.

That was the US Model 1909, for which a special .45 Colt round was issued. We’ll return to it later. Also in 1878 Colt saw fit to bring out a double-action revolver, albeit its double-action mechanism was about the only way it differed from the SAA. Barrel lengths were the same and in fact the exact same barrels were used on SAAs and Model 1878DA’s. The actual revolvers were the same size and could share the same holsters, of course considering equal barrel lengths on both. Loading and unloading for both designs was done in the same manner — through a loading gate on the frame’s right side. Empties were punched out via an ejector rod mounted to the barrel’s right side. For various reasons the Model 1878DA never achieved the popularity of the SAA. It survived only until 1905, with a bit over 51,000 made. The SAA is still in production with about 700,000 having been made so far. Of course the premier chambering for both SAA and Model 1878DA has always been .45 Colt.

Standard barrel length for both revolvers was 4¾”, 5½” and 7½”. Colt’s two most famous .45’s: (left) is the Single Action Army with which the .45 Colt cartridge was introduced. At right is the US Model 1911 .45 ACP which served the American armed forces for 75 years. This pair of Colt US Model 1917 .45’s represent ones used in both world wars. One at left still wears its original blue finish. One at right was Parkerized for reissue in World War II. New Service Then in 1899 Colt began selling its newest double-action design, the New Service. It was nowhere near the SAA in any respect except caliber, which was primarily .45 Colt. The New Service featured a side-swing cylinder, of 6-shot capacity — the same as the earlier .45 Colts. Standard cataloged barrel lengths for New Service revolvers was 4½”, 5½” and 7½”. As said above, the US Army knew for years it was going to adopt an autoloading pistol, but until John M.

Browning got his design perfected they needed a temporary revolver to fill in. That was simple for them: just adopt the New Service as the US Model 1909. In order to insure a proper push on empty cases with the star-type extractor of a side-swing cylinder, the army’s new 1909 ammunition used case rims far wider than its earlier .45 Colt loads. The respective rim diameters (measured on original military loads) were .502″ for the early cases and .534″ for the 1909 version. The US Model 1909 may have been the shortest-serving US martial handgun, for John Browning’s new autoloader beat out all competitors in testing and was adopted as the US Model 1911. It’s doubtful if any of you readers need much of a description about 1911’s. Suffice to say, all military ones had 5″ barrel lengths and were issued with 7-round magazines. Of course adoptive caliber was the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).

This Colt US Model 1917 is shown with an original 24-round box of .45 ACP military ammunition, which came already installed in three round “half-moon” clips. Two 1917’s Next came an anomaly. In 1917 President Woodrow Wilson decided to embroil the United States in Europe’s three-year-old war. And naturally the US armed forces were caught woefully short of all sorts of weapons. That even included handguns — not nearly enough US Model 1911’s had been made to equip all troops who needed them. So the government prevailed on both Colt and Smith & Wesson to adapt their big-frame double-action revolvers to fire .45 ACP cartridges. These revolvers were designated US Model 1917’s and may be the only time two US military firearms, with no parts interchangeable, were given the same model number. Barrel lengths were always 5½”. Interestingly, between 1899 and 1944 Colt produced about 356,000 New Service revolvers.

Over 150,000 of them were US Model 1917’s, made in only about a two-year period from 1917 to 1919. Since the new army caliber used a rimless case which certainly would not function with star-type extractors, some bright light at Smith & Wesson came up with “half-moon” clips. These were merely stamped pieces of spring steel into which .45 ACP rounds were snapped at their extraction groove. The army even issued pre-loaded clips in 24-round boxes. The US Model 1911 .45 ACP served American armed forces for 75 years. .45 History Let’s look at all this variation of Colt .45 ammunition briefly. Starting out, the copper-cased .45’s used by the US Army in 1873 carried a 250-gr. lead bullet over 30 grs. of black powder. Case length was 1.29″. By 1875 this was changed because the army bought some Smith & Wesson revolvers built for their own .45 round.

In a case only 1.10″ long 28 grs. of black powder was loaded under 230-gr. lead bullets. Both of these loads gave about 725 to 750 fps velocity. In the 1880s the army returned to the longer .45 Colt cartridge. By 1909, smokeless powder dominated. The new .45 Colt military ammunition still used 250-gr. lead bullets. Guess what? It was still loaded to a nominal velocity of about 725 fps. Then when the .45 ACP specifications were finalized, bullet weight was settled up as (nominally) 230 grs., but bullet form was now full-metal jacketed. Velocity was supposed to be about 830 fps, although the original box mentioned above for rounds in half-moon clips said 800 fps. For over 100 years, American ordnance officers were quite satisfied with handgun bullets from 230 to 250 grs. traveling at moderate velocities. Now, I’ll put in my two-cents worth.

The year 1968 was a banner one for me because in its summer I obtained both my first Colt SAA .45 and my first US Model 1911A1 .45. It was a Remington-Rand of World War II vintage. That same year I began loading for both .45 Colt and .45 ACP. The very next year I happened on a Colt Model 1909 .45, shooting it for several years before it was traded off on something else long forgotten. Over the decades I’ve owned several-score .45 Colt handguns: mostly Colt SAAs, but at least two of the Model 1878DAs. Never could I land a US Army-marked SAA; prices have always been out of my reach. However, I do have a pair of the Colt Peacemaker Centennials which are exact duplicates of those early .45’s. Also in my vault currently resides a pair of Colt (New Service) US Model 1917s, one still wearing its World War I blue finish and the second having a Parkerized finish. That means it was refurbished for World War II.

And of course, no self-respecting gun’riter can be without at least one 1911. I have a 1918 vintage one and a 1911A1 version made in 1944. Both are Colts. Personally I can shoot a Colt SAA .45 and a US Model 1911 .45 in reasonably good fashion. I can also do well with a Colt Model 1917 .45, but only when fired as a single action. Firing double action I can barely keep bullets on-paper. I am probably typical of most Colt .45 shooters. For 140 years Colt has kept Americans — military and civilians alike — well supplied with .45 caliber handguns, and I know for sure many serving US combat troops wish they still did. By Mike “Duke” Venturino

Question: What was the nickname given to the Colt 45 revolver
Answer: The Peacemaker